


Send No Lunge Beyond Thy Length

by Katherine



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey, Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Genre: Crossover, Dragons, Mating Flight (Dragonriders of Pern), Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-11-02 05:43:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20640992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine/pseuds/Katherine
Summary: "She is a queen, you know, Laurence," Temeraire told him, low and intent, before he turned his head to keep on looking intently upwards.





	Send No Lunge Beyond Thy Length

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Kaa's verse of "The Outsong" by Rudyard Kipling.

"She is a queen, you know, Laurence," Temeraire told him, low and intent, before he turned his head to keep on looking intently upwards. Staring at the gold dragon who had launched herself moments before.

As Temeraire started to bunch his haunches, Laurence was forced to conclude that the extra note in his dragon's voice was excitement. He hastily maneuvered himself down Temeraire's side. Swiftly unclipping his carabiners once his boots were on the ground, he was grateful that Temeraire was wearing his lightest flying-harness; also, that none of Temeraire's crew were present, only Laurence himself.

Temeraire leapt aloft. Shading his eyes with his hand, Laurence could abstractly admire the sight, the gleaming golden shape of the huge queen dragon in flight trailed by the various bronze and brown. A few of the male dragons were mottled in slightly differing shades, but none had any significant pattern like Temeraire's markings, nor his elegant shape. Well, a captain was expected to be partial to his own charge.

Laurence hoped that Temeraire participating would not cause some unanticipated slight, nor occasion some reason for ceremony with which Temeraire, or for that matter Laurence himself, was entirely unfamiliar. He could hope they would be accorded some latitude in what was expected, as new visitors to this very different world.

One of the half-remembered men, a captain—rider, they called it here, where a dragon had no crew—of a green, slapped Laurence on one shoulder. That was a disconcerting level of familiarity. "I'll walk you to the others," he said. Laurence followed, concealing his uncertainty while trying to remember the man's name. The introductions had been cursory.

The crowd, when they came to it, was entirely of men, jostling each other in front of a cavern entrance. They seemed to be spoiling for a fight. A fight or... Laurence blanched. If only he had this world's mental powers, to send to Temeraire. However, he told himself, Temeraire would have been unlikely to listen; certainly not while in the grip of lust. This was no demure courting.

All too evidently Laurence was expected to join this on the ground since Temeraire had inserted himself into the queen dragon's flight. Perhaps Laurence should turn his mind to the strength of Temeraire's chance, or was that to the queen's choice. He had a role to play as captain, or rather as rider. For he was Temeraire's.


End file.
